Tourism Japan to adopt US-style entry system for foreign visitors

Records show there were 2,122 foreign nationals at the end of 2024 who had received final confirmation for deportation. One goal of the plan announced May 23 is to halve that number by the end of fiscal 2030, according to the Immigration Services Agency. Under JESTA, prospective visitors to Japan from 71 nations and regions who are exempted from visas for short pleasure or business trips will have to apply online beforehand. Immigration authorities will check whether applicants have a criminal record or previously were in Japan illegally. Those who do not receive authorization will not be allowed to board flights bound for Japan. The ministry is expected to expand the program to cover those who might arrive by sea to enter Japan.

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thomas said:

The Japanese government announced that it would implement stricter online screening measures aimed at winnowing out problematic foreign entrants and ultimately reducing the number of undocumented migrants in Japan to zero. Justice Minister Keisuke Suzuki said that robust steps were necessary in light of growing public concern sparked by frequent news coverage of unruly behaviour by foreign visitors.

A Japanese version of the Electronic System for Travel Authorisation (ESTA), initially launched in the US in 2009, is scheduled to begin operation in fiscal 2028. Similar systems are already in place in Canada and New Zealand, and the European Union is expected to introduce its own by 2026. Japan's planned system is based on seven key policy pillars designed to block the entry of foreign nationals with criminal backgrounds and to enable the swift removal of individuals whose applications for refugee status have been rejected.

Japan to adopt U.S.-style entry system for foreign visitors | The Asahi Shimbun: Breaking News, Japan News and Analysis

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